ARC Raiders: Should You Fight Back When an ARC Is Chasing You?

When I first picked up ARC Raiders, I had a habit: the moment a machine locked onto me, I'd spin around and fight, thinking running away was cowardly. The usual result was winning the fight against the machine, then getting dropped a second later by a player who'd homed in on the gunfire. This game isn't like other shooters. The machines aren't there to be cleared, your goal is to walk out alive with the loot. Whether you should fight back when chased genuinely depends on the situation, so here are the mistakes I made and the decision framework I use now.

First ask yourself, is this machine even worth fighting?

When you're being chased, the instinct is to turn and fight, but not every machine here is worth it. Some cost you more than you gain, and some will kill you faster if you don't fight.

• Anything that calls backup has to die fast: the Snitch summons a pack of Wasps and Hornets the moment it spots you, so drop two of its three rotors before it reports your position.
• Anything you can't shake has to die too: the Comet is a rolling bomb, kiting does nothing because it detonates on a timer, so you shoot the exposed core during its charge.
• Regular patrol robots you just leave alone. Break line of sight, crouch, go quiet, and they'll wander back to their route. They use a detection cone, not a full circle, so you can even slip behind them up close.

Aside from those two types, most machines chasing you can be shaken with a line-of-sight break plus silence. Turning around to shoot usually costs you dearly.

The gunfire is the real enemy, not the machine

The deadliest thing in this game usually isn't the machine on your tail, it's the other players who hear your shots from across the map. Gunfire is far more dangerous than the robot.

• Running, lockpicking, and reloading can all be heard, and shooting is the loudest of all, it pulls in distant patrols and other players, so hold fire whenever you can.
• Holster your weapon (default H) to run faster and jump farther. Getting away clean matters more than winning the fight, so stow it before you bolt.
• If you do have to fight, end it fast. Heavy ammo works best against armor, pair it with a medium weapon, and don't chew through a machine with light ammo, it's slow and loud.

Before you pull the trigger, think about whether that bit of loot is worth giving away your position, especially in a solo raid.

For the machines you can't outrun, how you flee matters

Some machines you simply can't outrun, like the Firefly hunter type, and there the way you run matters more than whether you shoot. Run the wrong way and you're just feeding it.

• Never run from a Firefly in the open. The devs' own line is "if you can't fight, get inside", so get into solid cover or a building before anything else.
• If you have a Photoelectric Cloak, pop it, it makes ARCs ignore you briefly, and smoke grenades break line of sight too, both are gold for shaking machines and for extraction.
• For the big ones like the Bombardier and Rocketeer, fight from inside a building so they can't flank you, and against a charging Leaper, stand in a doorway to block its pounce.

When you can't run, figure out where to hide before you figure out who to shoot. Cover always beats damage.

Whether to fight back when chased is never a simple yes or no. First judge whether this machine is worth killing, then judge whether the shot is worth the noise. Most of the time quietly shaking it off is the best deal, and only the Snitch and Comet types deserve a no-hesitation fight. Remember, walking out alive with the cargo beats killing one more machine every time. Next time you're chased, holster first, find cover, and think before you shoot.